In 1892, Queen Victoria clings to her widow's weeds and
seclusion while her bored heir, the Prince of Wales,
outrages everyone with his mistresses and profligate
spending. The grisly murders of Whitechapel prostitutes by
a killer known as Jack the Ripper remain a terrifying
enigma.
And in a packed Old Bailey courtroom, Pitt's testimony
causes distinguished soldier John Adinett to be sentenced
to hang for the inexplicable murder of his friend, Martin
Fetters.

Instead of being praised for his superb deduction, Pitt is
removed from his command of the Bow Street Station by
pressure from Adinett's powerful friends of the Inner
Circle and transferred to the clandestine Special Branch in
the dangerous East End. There he is to investigate alleged
anarchist plots, working undercover and far from his
family, in Whitechapel, one of the worst slums. Among his
few allies are clever Charlotte and intrepid Gracie, the
servant who can travel unremarked in Whitechapel.